Clans of the Desert
by Shiningeyes
Summary: This is my first story. Basically it's that Sunpaw discovers a prophecy recieved by the Clan's medicine cat. Rogues have come to live on the edge of SandClan's territory. And, is it possible that the prophecy could mean them? It's rated T, just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Warriors of the Desert**

**SANDCLAN**

Leader-Bloodstar

Medicine Cat-Berryflower

Warriors-

Stoneclaw

Crystalgaze

Apprentices-

Sunpaw

Silverpaw

Eaglepaw

**CANYONCLAN**

**CAVECLAN**

**OASISCLAN**

**xx**

PROLOGUE

**xx**

_Five cats padded silently into the _moonlit cave. The white-hot stars sparkled in the night as they settled down next to a shimmering stream.

"Are you ready, Berrypaw?" a dusty brown tabby mewed.

"Yes, Thornleaf," a young tortoiseshell she-cat replied.

The tabby raised his voice to the stars above. "I, Thornleaf, bring you my apprentice. I pray that you accept her as you once accepted me."

The moon flashed into the cave, and the cats settled down by the stream and drank a few drops of water that tasted like starlight and the night sky. They fell in to the dreaming lands where StarClan walked.

Berrypaw opened her eyes. She knew she wasn't in the cave at once. _I'm in StarClan's forest!_ She realized.

_"Berrypaw." _A silver she-cat padded up next to her.

_"Are you…?"_

_"Yes, I am Rainflower. Take heed of what you see, young apprentice. It will help you in moons to come."_

The she-cat, who had been a warrior with a heart of gold, rested her muzzle on Berrypaw's head.

A shadow fell over her eyes. _Where am I?_

A dark cat of shadow and darkness ran past, mouth open in a cry of battle… or fear? She couldn't tell.

A midnight-dark claw flashed before her face. With the screams of the dying, of pain and fear, a wave hit her. A thick, churning flood of blood. She could taste it. She could smell it. All around…

Her eyes snapped open. She lay in the cave, shivering. It was too much for the poor apprentice.

"Are you alright?" Thornleaf was nudging her gently. "We heard you cry out."

"I-I'm alright," she managed. She pushed herself shakily to her paws. "Let's go home."

Without another word, the cats went home.

_The dark claw… A flood of blood… What is it? _The apprentice closed her eyes. _I'll tell Thornleaf in the morning._

_

* * *

_I'll do more... this weekend maybe. I'll put more cats as I need them. This is my first story, so review please! Thanks! 


	2. Chapter 2

**xx**

CHAPTER 1 

**xx**

_The golden tabby spun around. A _huge tom was behind him.

"Get off our territory!" He snarled.

"It's mine!"

"It's ours now, little kit. Back off!"

"Never!" The apprentice yowled in defiance.

"I'll make you anyways!" The dark cat hissed. He hit Sunpaw with such a blow that the world spun before him. The apprentice stumbled to a patch of grass where he collapsed and could go on no more.

He heard voices. _Am I going mad? Am I dead? Am I…_

He slowly, curiously opened his eyes.

"Sunpaw! You're awake! I thought you'd-" His mother broke off, and started to lick him furiously.

"Ssh, Crystalgaze, he's alright," the Clan medicine cat, Berryflower, soothed the worried she-cat. "Now go, let him rest." She said firmly. Crystalgaze walked away.

The medicine cat now turned to Sunpaw.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"Good. Now, I'll just have to keep you here for a day, just to make sure you're alright."

"Stoneclaw won't like it," Sunpaw commented.

"Nobody likes it when an apprentice gets hurt like this." The deep voice of Bloodstar announced his arrival.

"Good morning, Bloodstar." The medicine cat mewed politely and took a step back.

"Sunpaw, how are you feeling?" The dark red tom sat next to Sunpaw's nest.

"I'm fine."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Well, I was on a hunting test near Twolegplace, by the Thunderpath. A big dark tom told me to get off his territory. I said it was ours and he said it was his now. Then he hit me and I woke up here."

"Very well then." The leader got up and walked away, as if he was lost in his thoughts.

"He can be like that," Berryflower mewed distantly.

Sunpaw's mind wandered from Bloodstar and Berryflower. He looked around. He had never been in the medicine den before. It was small, but big enough to fit two medicine cats, plus a few sick cats. Holes had been dug in the hard, cool sand. They contained all of Berryflower's healing herbs. There was enough soft grass in one corner to fill all the nest-hollows, and still there was enough room to move quickly to help a sick cat.

A noise distracted him from his thoughts. He pricked his ears, listening. Two cats were approaching quickly. He scented the air. Silverpaw and Eaglepaw! His brother and sister ran into the cave, almost crashing into him, but the managed to stop in time.

"Hi, Sunpaw!" Eaglepaw meowed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"What happened? Tell us!"

So Sunpaw told his story of how the rogue cats attacked him. His brother and sister listened and started talking. After a while, they were chatting excitedly about how Sunpaw had faced a Clan's worth of bloodthirsty rogues and escaped with only a bump on the head.

"Guys, it wasn't like that! At all! I barely had time to lay a claw on that big brute before he knocked me out! If I wanted to hear a story like that, I'd go visit the elders!"

And Sunpaw whipped his tail around his nose and went to sleep, fuming.

The next day, Sunpaw was lying in his nest under the thornbush that was the apprentices' den. Berryflower had made him stay near the camp for a half-day after he left the medicine den. He was glad of the shade that the big bush provided, but the hot summer sun still filtered through. Eventually, his fur was getting too hot and he was too thirsty. He went to a more shady area of the camp, where there was an overhang in the cliff that was the back wall of the camp. He slipped into a gap in the wall. Inside, it was cool and dark. As his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he followed the sound of the Underground River. He sat there for a minute, then he drank from the cold river. He went outside again to talk to his Clanmates.

The story had gotten around, thanks to his mother. Everyone had been talking about it for the last day. The elders were telling his story to every cat that would listen. His brother and sister were ignoring him, though. Sunpaw was sorry for being mean to them, but it had gone too far.

"Hey, Sunpaw!" an orange cat called across the camp. "Sunset patrol! Do you want to come?"

"Sure!" He got up and headed towards the entrance, where Fireclaw and the patrol were waiting.

The sun was setting quickly, and the hot earth was slowly cooling down. The afternoon wind rustled the dry grass as the first stars were coming out. Sunpaw fell behind to enjoy the warm summer air.

A hiss alerted him. He pricked his ears, then he caught the scent. _Rogues! _He thought, ready to call out to the rest of the patrol.

"No, don't! Please!" The voice mewed quietly.

He slipped behind the dead bush, where he saw a small black tom about his age staring back at him.

"Why are you on our territory?" Sunpaw hissed, claws out, ready to send this stranger crawling back to Twolegplace.

"Don't hurt me, please! I'm not on Dusk's side, if that's what you think. I'm just a runaway from his band of bloodthirsty, evil… _Rat eaters!_"

_Dusk must be that big dark cat¸ _Sunpaw thought.

"If you could just hide me from him, that'd be fine. I've been hiding for days here. And your…"

"Clans,"

"Yes, they almost found me."

"Okay, I suppose I can hide you. But don't cause any trouble, okay?"

"Alright."

"I'll be back tonight."

Sunpaw ducked out of the bush and ran after the patrol.


End file.
